Three of Hearts
by Yolantha
Summary: Solona Amell, Circle mage and Gray Warden has relationship issues with one man and two women. Set during DA:Origins before the Landsmeet, but after most of the quests have been completed. I've focused on characters rather than the game story as there are already a lot of good fics of the game story and this is just my idea of what might happen.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

She sat on the edge of her bed, crying softly, and alone. The Landsmeet was supposed to solve everything, or at least that was the plan. Stop Loghain, set in stone who would lead Ferelden into the future after the Blight, punish those who needed punishing, reward those who were deserving, and in general fix everything that was broken. Alistair defeated Loghain in solo combat, and he wanted to kill him, but Riordan brought up another option. She had agreed with Riordan that Loghain should have the chance to redeem himself by going through the Joining and becoming a Gray Warden. She never thought Alistair would react as badly as he did, calling her a traitor and walking away from the Wardens, and her. Obviously she hadn't been nearly as important to him as he'd claimed for months as they made love every night, and just as obviously, he also didn't really believe the oath he swore when he joined the Wardens, or he would have remembered what Duncan had told them both repeatedly, that the Wardens did whatever they had to do to end the Blights and protect the people of Thedas from them.

She never would have dreamed any of this could happen to her when she left the Circle Tower with Duncan, that Solona Amell would end up as the acting Warden Commander in Ferelden in charge of ending the Blight, and that her lover and closest friend would show himself to be so selfish that he would walk away from his duty as a warden and his "love" for her. She knew she should stop crying about it, but the pain was too recent and too deep to just forget, it was as if he had punched her repeatedly in her stomach, a deep pain that simply would not go away.

There was a knock at her door, "Whatever it is, it will have to wait," she said to the closed and locked door. She wasn't up to seeing anyone right now and having them see her in this condition, especially Wynne, who had warned that her relationship with Alistair was a mistake.

The doorknob turned and the door slowly swung open. "I said it will have to wait!" she yelled, without even waiting to see who it was opening the door.

"I'm sorry, Solona, but it can not wait," Leliana said as she slipped her lockpicks back into their pocket.

"Indeed, the worst thing you can do right now is be alone after all that's happened," Morrigan agreed.

Solona groaned inwardly, knowing how Morrigan felt about Alistair, she could only imagine what the witch would have to say about everything. "I don't know what possible difference it could make if I'm alone or not, I'm not the self destructive type."

Morrigan walked up to her, took Solona's hands in hers and pulled her to her feet. Solona started to protest and then Morrigan wrapped her arms around Solona and hugged her tight. "The only thing I am going to say about Alistair is that he had NO right treating you as he did once you made your decision about Loghain. He has steadfastly refused to take any responsibilty for anything and has always waited for you to decide, then followed your lead. You made a very difficult decision, one that had to be made immediately, and you stood by it, even in the face of his tantrums."

"I always respected Alistair, both as a Gray Warden, and as a former Templar initiate. He always seemed to be a very good man, and in some ways, I still believe he is, but as Morrigan points out, he had no right to attack you as he did." Leliana said, stepping up to Solona and hugging her as well.

"I appreciate your concern and your kind words, but I can't help but feel I made a serious mistake for someone who loved me to react so badly." Solona told them.

"Solona, he did NOT love you, or he would not have acted as he did, even if he disagreed with your decision. You have made several decisions that I had serious objections to at the time you made them, but they didn't affect how I felt about you then, and still do," Morrigan said.

"Tis obvious to me that Morrigan is correct, he did NOT love you, not truly,"Leliana paused, looking into Solona's eyes,"at least not as truly as I do."

Solona simply stared at the redhead, truly speechless. "Nor as I do, as well," Morrigan added.

Now Solona looked back and forth between the two women, trying to decide exactly what they meant, and ending up even more confused,"What are..."

Leliana raised her hands to the sides of Solona's head and looked deeply into her eyes,"I never said anything before, nor did Morrigan, because we both saw how you and Alistair looked at each other, and we knew you were in love with him, so we both simply pulled back. It became obvious to both of us that we felt the same way about you, so we talked things through and decided neither of us wanted to hurt you in any way, so we never approached you."

Morrigan had begun rubbing Solona's shoulders,"Indeed, neither of us wanted to put you in a position where you had to make a difficult choice, especially since you seemed to be very happy with Alistair."

"I don't know what to say, I've always liked and respected you both, but I never thought about any other relationship between us, since I was involved with Alistair," Solona said,"but now, even though Alistair is out of the picture, I would be back to having to choose between you."

"Not necessarily," Morrigan whispered in her ear,"I know of no law of nature that limits a loving relationship to only two people."

Leliana smiled at Morrigan, then transferred the smile to Solona,"I told you we had talked things through, and we came to several conclusions. The first was that if you decided not to continue with Alistair and wanted one of us instead, the one not chosen would accept your decision and move on. The second was that in spite of how we started out, we have come to respect and like each other, and possibly even love one another, which led to our third conclusion, that while we could be happy together, or one of us could be happy with you, we would be happiest of it was the three of us together."

"Perhaps we shouldn't have come to you like this so soon,"Morrigan said,"but with the final battle against the Archdemon approaching, there is the possibilty that one or more of us may not survive the battle, and we wanted you to know how we feel. Now do NOT feel that you must join with us, either with both or only one of us, 'tis your life and your love we're discussing here and maybe you don't feel that way about either or both of us, if that is the case, we understand."

Solona slowly stood up and walked to the window and looked outside. She said nothing for several minutes and when she turned away from the window, Leliana and Morrigan could both see fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. They both stood, and neither was sure what to say or do. Solona walked to them, looked into Leliana's eyes, then leaned forward and kissed the bard softly on the lips, caressing her cheek as she did so. She then turned to Morrigan and kissed her as she had Leliana, then she looked at both women and spoke.

"I've been a fool in love, and what Alistair did still hurts me to my very core, but knowing that my two best friends love me so much makes it seem the pain was very worthwhile. I could never have had a life with Alistair if he'd become King, unless as his mistress, but I see that I can have a wonderful life with two women who mean more to me than anything else in this world. I may not be quite ready yet to truly love you, but if you can be patient with me while my heart heals, I would love to try."

Solona turned to Morrigan and kissed her again, reaching out and pulling the witch's top aside, she bent to take the nipple in her mouth, swirling her tongue around it, causing a low moan of pleasure to escape Morrigan's lips. She reached across and bared the other breast and began to pinch and pull on the other nipple, eliciting more sounds of pleasure from Morrigan as the mage slid her hands inside the neck of Solona's robe and pushed it down off her shoulders. Solona stopped her ministrations and pulled back a bit, looking up at Morrigan's face as the witch pushed the robe down until it fell down to bunch up on the floor at Solona's feet, leaving her completely nude, her nipples fully aroused and wetness beginning between her legs. Morrigan cupped the blonde's breasts with both hands, rubbing her palms across the erect nipples and softly squeezing the breasts. Solona's sharp intake of breath showed how much she enjoyed the feeling. She next felt a hand on her ass, gently squeezing it as warm breath tickled her ear,"What a fantastic ass you have, my dear," Leliana purred as she slid her other hand down Solona's belly and between her thighs, slowly slipping a finger into the wetness she found there. Leliana pressed her naked body against Solona, her flesh tingling where it met the mage's body. She looked over Solona's shoulder at Morrigan and smiled at the witch,"Morri dear, it seems to me one of us is terribly overdressed for the occasion, perhaps you should remedy that situation."

Morrigan smiled softly and backed away a few steps, aware that both pairs of eyes were following her hungrily. She removed here boots and leggings, leaving her clad only in her leather skirt and her top still opened to fully expose both breasts. She reached down and unfasted the skirt and let it drop to the floor, then pulled her top over her head and dropped it on the floor as she walked towards the blonde and redhead. She leaned toward Solona and hungrily kissed her, sliding her tongue between the blonde's lips as she felt Solona's hand sliding up her thigh until her palm rested against Morrigan's lips, then slowly began stroking her as they kissed, finally slipping two fingers inside the brunette, pushing them as deep as she could.

"Perhaps we should move to the bed,"Leliana suggested," this is about to become complicated and I fear if we continue standing up, we'll end up in a heap on the floor."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Solona awoke as she heard the door to the bedroom creaking open slowly. She looked towards the door and saw Zevran looking at her, a smirk on his face as he said,"My dear Warden, breakfast is served in the dining room whenever you're ready to eat," then, still smirking to himself, he backed out and closed the door. Solona looked around her and saw why Zevran smirked as he looked in. On Solona's right side Morrigan lay snuggled against her, with her right arm across Solona and her hand resting on Leliana's side as she was snuggled against Solona's left side. Solona grinned to herself as she remembered the night before as the trio made love, then slept, awoke and made love again until all three collapsed in happily sated exhaustion. She felt a slight pang of regret as a thought of Alistair flashed across her mind but she pushed it away with a concious effort as she thought instead of what the two gorgeous women naked in her bed had said to and done with her last night. She knew it would still take her some time to get over Alistair completely, but she knew with her two bedmates' help, she would manage it.

"Wake up, sleeping beauties, breakfast awaits, and after what you two did to me last night, I am in dire need of sustenance," she said, reaching down and slapping both perfect asses. They both awoke, smiling at her."Oh, and just so you're prepared, I know breakfast is ready because Zev opened the door that someone left unlocked after she picked it last night and stuck his head in to tell me so."

"Oops, I knew I forgot something, now I know what it was,"Leliana giggled,"not that it matters much, they would find out sooner or later, this way we can deal with it and move on immediately."

"Indeed, and if anyone says anything snarky about either of my loves, I will turn them into a toad," Morrigan said with a grin.

The three women strode into the dining room and sat down at the table, by this time, everyone except Zevran and Sten had finished eating and left the room. "Good morning, ladies,"Zevran greeted them,"I suspect you all really need a good breakfast this morning."

Before any of the three could respond to Zevran, Sten spoke up,"Kadan, it is unfortunate that Alistair was unable to understand why you were forced to make the decision you did, but since he couldn't, it is probably as well that he left us. In our final battle against the archdemon, we need to stand together, not having anyone who is not fully with us. The elf here wants to make light of the relationship between the three of you, but that is none of his, or my, business. Our business is to destroy the archdemon and end the blight, who you choose to lay with changes that not at all."

It was the longest speech any of them had ever heard from Sten, and Solona looked at Zevran to see what his response would be,"Ah, but my quanari friend is correct, we must end the blight, and once that is done, I can go back to teasing beautiful women."

Just then, Wynne came into the room and approached Solona,"Solona, Alistair is in the foyer and wants to speak to you."

"Whatever could he possibly be thinking?" Morrigan mused,"After that tantrum he threw yesterday?"

"Whatever it is, I need to go find out, so I'll be back soon," Solona said.

As Solona approached Alistair, he quickly started speaking,"Look, I'm sorry I flew off the handle like that, but I never dreamed you would let Loghain live, let alone become a Warden, I just felt betrayed and.."

"YOU felt betrayed?! For MONTHS on end, you've stood there and waited for ME to decide EVERYTHING and now suddenly I'm supposed to ask your opinion? And I knew this how, exactly?" Solona roared at him,"We have a total of 3 wardens in Ferelden, Loghain will make 4 and ONE of us must kill the archdemon, providing we get TO it. You think maybe the darkspawn are going to let us say 'Oh, wait guys, we have to kill the archdemon, so you'll have to let us go by'? But that's neither here nor there, you've decided your fragile ego is so badly bruised you had to run away, so what you're doing here now is a mystery to me. Why ARE you HERE?"

As she yelled at him, Alistair became more and more angry until he finally yelled back,"I'm here because I'm a warden and it's my duty!"

"Ah, your duty, got it. Now that the decisions have been made and put into effect, it's time for 'Duty' to raise it's head again. 'Duty' is Anora deciding to side with the wardens against her own FATHER, 'Duty' is everyone else doing what they can, when they can, to make this thing work out, not having a temper tantrum when they don't get their way! And don't give me any more crap about Duncan dying at Ostagar because of Loghain, almost everyone I ever knew died in that tower, friends, lovers, teachers, everyone, so I don't want to hear it from you. I think the best thing you can do is run back to wherever you ran to when you ran away from your 'Duty' yesterday and leave the Blight to those of us grown up enough to handle it."

With that, Solona turned on her heel and started to stalk away, but Alistair grabbed her arm,"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO YELL AT ME LIKE THAT, I'VE DONE..." but it was Alistair's day to be interrupted,"I have no right you yell at you, here, now, with just the two of us, but YOU had the RIGHT to yell at ME in front of the entire Landsmeet? Grow up, get over yourself, and get out of my life, NOW!"

Solona wrenched her arm free and again started moving away from him, only to be hit by a smite, causing her to crash to the floor. As Alistair started moving towards her, Sten came through the door and stepped between them. "Alistair, turn and walk away, you've done enough damage, and if you continue to attack my Kadan, I will end you here and now," the quanari stated softly as footsteps sounded behind him. Alistair looked behind Sten and saw Oghren, Zevran, and Shale step up between Solona and the others.

"Fine, I'll go, but she'll regret this before it's all over." Alistair said.

"Oh, I doubt that, nughumper, I think you'll find that little mage girl will be much happier with you gone,"Oghren chuckled," as will the rest of us."

As Alistair stormed off, Sten helped Solona to stand and Zevran offered her a lyrium potion. "Thank you both," she said,"I should have been watching for that, but it never crossed my mind that he would physically attack me. Lesson learned, I guess. You three, if he comes back, keep him away from me, Morrigan and Wynne, whatever it takes."

"If you would like, me dear warden, I can go now and ensure he stays away," Zevran offered.

"No, Zev, let's not start out the day assassinating people, even if they deserve it," Solona responded.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Once Alistair was gone, Solona led her friends back into the dining room so everyone could finish their interrupted meal. Before she made it back to the table with Leliana and Morrigan, Oghren grabbed her hand and pulled her off to the side. "Is there something you need, Oghren?" she asked.

"I need to say something and it's for your ears only, Solona." Oghren said, and she realized this was the very first time he had ever called her by her name. "The pike twirler was a decent warden, and Riordan seems to be a very good one, based on what I've seen of him and of others in the past, and I think this Loghain will make a warden before it's all over, he has the drive and sense of duty that's required, having been a soldier his whole life. Then there's you, Miss Solona Amell, mage of the Circle and Commander of the Gray in Ferelden. You embody everything a warden needs to be, and is supposed to be, and it's been an honor and a privilege for this old dwarf warrior to battle at your side. I've had a lot of commanders in my lifetime, and you are by far the best I've served under. You just keep doing the things you know need to be done and don't worry overmuch about the crap that comes after, old Oghren will be here to smash any skulls that need it so you can do your job, as will the elf, the qunari, the girls, and everyone else. We don't follow the Gray Wardens as much as we follow Solona, our warden, and our friend. If I someday am blessed by the ancestors with a girl child to bear my name, I hope she takes after you, and know now, if that comes to pass, she will bear your name as well. And now I stop being Oghren, the old and wise warrior and go back to being Oghren, the drunkard nobody ever expects anything from, except you, who've always seen me for what I am, and for that, I thank you."

Solona was stunned, not only be the length and depth of his speech, but by his attitude as he spoke. She'd always thought there was a lot more to Oghren than just the drunk he let everyone see, and now she knew she'd been right. He was truly a warrior, and by virtue of being one his entire life, his opinion must be taken seriously. "Thank you, Oghren," she finally said, "I appreciate everything you said, and I would consider it a great honor for a daughter of one of my best friends to share my name," she said with tears in her eyes. She knelt down on the floor so they were at eye level, leaned forward and kissed the dwarf's cheek above his beard and hugged him. "Now, let's go finish breakfast, I think your ale is getting stale."

Later that day, Riordan returned from his scouting mission with disturbing news.

"The archdemon and the horde are heading to Denerim, not Redcliffe," he said without preamble to those assembled in Eamon's study. "The darkspawn headed here are only a diversion."

"Damn," Solona swore,"how long will it take the armies to march to Denerim?"

"At least a full day, possibly longer," Eamon replied,"but we can't wait, we'll have to send what we can as soon as possible."

"We can send the warden's party along with myself and whoever we can get mounted on horses at first and let the rest march after as soon as they can," Riordan said.

"It's too late in the day to make more than a start tonight," Alistair said,"Better to use the rest of today making ready and leave just before first light tomorrow, maybe we can get away without the spawn here noticing and getting word to the archdemon."

"I agree," Solona said," it would be best to start out fresh in the morning rather than move an hour or so tonight and camp and hope the spawn don't come upon us before morning."

Riordan said,"It is decided then, we go in whatever force we can muster before first light and move at our best speed to Denerim, and hope we can hold out until the rest arrive. If no one has anything else, I suggest everyone see to their gear and other needs now. I do need to meet with Solona and Alistair in my rooms after we leave here, there are some things we Wardens need to discuss. I'll meet you two in say an hour? That will give you time to make sure you're going to be ready on the morrow."

When Solona returned to her room after speaking with Riordan and Alistair, she was in something of a daze. She hadn't considered why a warden had to make the killing blow, actually hadn't even known it was necessary. Viewed coldly and logically, Riordan's plan to take the blow himself made the most sense, but she knew in combat many things could alter plans. She also knew that if Riordan failed, she would herself make the death blow on the creature, Ferelden needed a king with the backing of the landsmeet, and that meant Alistair. Even if their relationship had crashed and burned, she still had to make sure he survived to lead the country after the blight was ended. As she stepped into her room, she noticed two people standing in front of the fireplace holding hands with one another.

"Morrigan, Leliana, what are you two doing in here just now?"Solona asked.

"I suspect the warden things you needed to discuss with Riordan and the fool included one of you three dying to kill the archdemon, yes?" Morrigan asked.

"How did.." Solona began, but was interrupted by the witch.

"Mother told me, of course. She knew many things about the Gray Wardens, including how blights end, and she sent me along with you because of that knowledge. My purpose was simple, in fact, I was to stay with you and before the battle with the archdemon, I was to perform a ritual that would...save..the soul of the old god from destruction, and also save the warden as well. She wanted the old god's power at her bidding, and at first, I was willing to go along and do my part, but that has changed." Morrigan said.

"Wait, ritual, save the old god, Morrigan, what the hell are you talking about?"Solona demanded angrily.

"There is a ritual, performed on the eve of battle, that would cause me to become with child, a child fathered by a gray warden. The taint would be part of the child and the archdemon would be drawn to it, rather than the warden. Because the child, not being born yet, would be a completely pure soul, it's very pureness would destroy the taint within both the child and the archdemon, leaving behind the soul of the old god. Mother wanted that old god child because it would grow to immense power, but I can no longer follow her course. I came to you as an outsider, and apostate, with no one in my life except her. You made me welcome from the start, and as time went on, we became friends. I wasn't sure how to react to that, as I'd never had a true friend before, so I was always suspicious of your motives. In time, with help from our red haired bard here,"she looked over and smiled at Leliana," to understand that you were being a friend, and had no motives to your kindness beyond that of friendship.

"Ok, and that leaves us where, exactly," Solona questioned.

"That leaves us with options, Solona dear. Options that I am not able to decide on my own. For better or worse, my life is now entwined with yours and Leliana's, and as such, the two of you must decide with me. First let me say two things. One is I am truly sorry for keeping this from you for so long, but once I began to have feelings for you, I was afraid to tell you in fear you would cast me out for not telling you before, as I know I should have done, knowledge that only became clear once I began to see what friendship really means. The second is, as much as I love you both, if you feel you cannot trust me now, I will understand, and I will leave here at once if that is your desire. I don't want to see you die, but I love and respect you too much to stay here if my presence will cause you grief."

"Morrigan, dear Morrigan, you haven't quite grasped everything friendship entails just yet. As your friend, even if we hadn't became lovers, I couldn't cast you out over this. Friends understand that people aren't perfect and our friends will make mistakes. Being a friend means forgiving those errors and helping your friend make amends. I will not send you away, but please, tell me if there are other things in the future that are this important." Solona replied.

"That is how Leliana said you would react, and I thank you. Now on to our options. First is, we can do nothing, just let the chips fall as they may and let whoever lands the killing blow die with the archdemon. The second option is for you to convince Alistair to lay with me tonight for the ritual, that I may conceive the child. The third option is for me to go myself to Alistair and try to convince him. I understand if you don't want to talk to him about this, and I will not force you into that, nor will I go to him myself unless that is what you want. As little as I think of Alistair, I would be willing to sacrifice my body to him for one night to ensure your safety, if that is what we decide." Morrigan said.

Solona and Leliana shared a look and both simultaneously shook their heads slightly.

"Morrigan, I think you for offering, and for not making the choice on your own, but you'd be sacrificing far more than one night bedding Alistair, you'd also be sacrificing your next nine months carrying a child whose father you despise and neither Leliana or I would ever ask that of you. A child should be a wonderful thing, something that comes into your life because it is truly desired, not simply as a means to an end. I will not speak to Alistair about this, nor do I want you to do so. We will forget your mother's ritual even exists and let the chips fall where they may." Solona said,"And now that this is forgotten, I believe we have better things to be doing with the rest of our evening than standing by the fire." She stepped closer, bringing her hands up to cup Morrigan's face and gently kissed her on the lips, then as she felt a hand on her back, turning to face Leliana, who leaned in and kissed Solona.

The three women slowly moved to the bed and began undressing each other and Solona thought to herself how blessed she was to have the love of not one beautiful woman, but two who were so different in so many ways, but so alike in the power of their love. Leliana and Solona moved to either side of Morrigan and gently lay the mage back on the bed and both began to kiss and caress her body, fingers gently stroking her thighs, lips brushing across her erect nipples as she moaned in pleasure.

"Never forget, dear Morrigan, that we love you and need you with us," Leliana purred, "and for now, just lay back and let us show you how much." She gently pushed Morrigan's knees apart and knelt between them as Solona began softly kneading the mage's breasts and kissing her deeply, tongue darting into her mouth, occasionally pinching her nipples between her fingers. Leliana gently licked Morrigan's slit, delighting in both the taste of the wetness building there, and in the low moans she heard coming from her lover. She began sucking on the lips, then the little pleasure bud, causing a sharp intake of breath and louder moans from Morrigan. As she licked and sucked, she slowly pushed two fingers inside her lover, marveling at the soft wetness and how the muscles squeezed at her fingers. Together, Solona and Leliana brought Morrigan to the brink slowly and then she was overcome by wave after wave of the most intense pleasure she had ever known. As her orgasm subsided, she felt tears running from her eyes and finally understood what love truly meant, her two friends/lovers had just given themselves over to solely pleasing her and she understood their love was what made that orgasm so intensely pleasurable. The next thing she felt were kisses on both sides of her face as her lovers kissed away her tears of joy. She opened her eyes to see two beautiful women almost cheek to cheek, both smiling softly down at her and she could almost feel their love as a physical presence. She smiled back at them, hoping they could see here love as well,"I love you both and if love makes us weak, I truly hope to never be strong again in this lifetime." she said.

"Love doesn't make us weak, dearest," Leliana said,"that's just a lie your mother told you to keep you from the truth. Love gives us strength, strength greater than one person alone could ever possess. Love lets the three of us help each other and it's the one thing nobody can ever steal from us.

"She's absolutely right, Morri,"Solona agreed,"Flemeth didn't want you to find love, couldn't afford to have it happen, even. You are a very powerful mage, and she knew the power of true love would make you even more powerful. You can draw on both the strength of our love for you and yours for us, and on the fear that something bad will happen to us. Never forget how powerful fear can be. It's an emotion, just like rage, jealousy, hope, and all the others. Once you know true love, you have so many more emotions to call on."

"I know,"Morrigan replied,"that's part of why I was crying, knowing that she lied to me about something so vital, and that as a foolish child, I believed her because she was my mother. The rest of the tears were of joy, joy that you both love me, and that I love you so much. And now I just want to hold you both and feel more of that joy, knowing that if things go badly tomorrow...no, I will not speak of that, tomorrow night, we will love one another in celebration!"

Solona and Leliana both kissed her again, then held her tight as the three drifted off into a peaceful slumber, ignoring what might happen the next day and just being thankful for what they had today.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Denerim was in shambles, the darkspawn horde had brought such devastation to the city it seemed nothing was left untouched by their corruption. The allies who fought for the wardens and the soldiers of the banns and arls combined to form an impressive army, one that was slowly but systematically clearing Denerim of darkspawn. While those men and women fought the horde, the wardens and their companions, less Riordan, harried the archdemon itself on the top of Fort Drakon. Riordan had managed to leap from a perch on a high building and land on the archdemon's back, where he had made his valiant attempt to end the blight himself. He had wounded the archdemon gravely, but his final act of thrusting his sword through the wing of the corrupted dragon had cost him his life, as the sword tore through the membrane of the wing, causing the great beast to land atop Fort Drakon, but not before Riordan plunged to his death. Now soldiers manned the ballistae on the roof, causing damage to the archdemon, but it seemed to only shrug off the damage from the large bolts as it twisted and turned, attacking those near it with corrupted fire and swipes of it's massive claws and sweeps of it's tail. Off to one side, Solona Amell stood with Leliana and Morrigan as the mage blasted ice and lightning at the dragon, while the bard loosed arrow after arrow, one of which managed to pin the eyelid of the dragon's right eye to the eye itself, effectively making it blind on that side. Solona noticed the dragon seemed to be weakening and knew the time was coming near for Loghain and herself to attempt the killing blow. She looked at her two lovers and felt tears come into her eyes, for she knew she probably would not live past the archdemon's demise. She moved closer to Morrigan and took the yellow eyed mage's hand in hers and when Morrigan looked at her, stepped up and softly and lovingly kissed her. Morrigan wrapped her arms around Solona as they kissed and when the kiss broke, both mages had tears running down their cheeks. They looked into each others eyes as they each felt a hand on her back as Leliana joined them. Solona looked at her red haired lover, seeing tears running freely down her cheeks as well. Leliana moved in and lovingly kissed Solona as she heard a sob from Morrigan. The three women hugged each other tightly before Solona broke away, finally.

"I dearly love you both, and if the worst happens, please care for one another and remember I'll always love you and I will find you when it's your time to pass over," Solona said to her lovers. "I feel like I've been the most fortunate soul, having known love with both of you, even if only for such a short time, and I know you will love one another even if I'm gone."

"I have so much to thank you for that I could never have anticipated, dear Solona," Morrigan said,"and I only regret not having enough time to show you how much I love and appreciate you."

"Maker, this is so difficult," Leliana added,"we just barely got to love one another and now one of us will be gone, but do not fear, Solona, Morrigan and I will love one another and we will never forget you. After all, it's only because of you that we met and fell in love as well."

The women hugged once again as Loghain approached. "Commander," he said to Solona,"I fear the time has come, and while I understand your stand on the issue, I want to make one last plea. Please, let me kill this cursed dragon. I've lived a very full life, I've know the love of two fantastic women, both of whom have preceded me in death, and I've raised a daughter of whom I'm very proud. You on the other hand have only begun to live, and have only recently found the true loves of your life, so again, please let me do this to make some amends for all the wrongs I've done to you and to the Order."

"Again, Loghain, I thank you for offering, the fact that you feel that way shows me that I did make the right choice at the Landsmeet, and if I fall, I know you'll do your best for the wardens. But, I did not recruit you so I could send you to your death here instead of at the Landsmeet, so you'll just have to take your chances alongside me. One of us will deal the blow, and one will survive and have to rebuild the order in Ferelden, and nobody is going to make that a simple choice, especially not me."

"Very well, I can see you're just as stubborn as Anora, and Maker knows, when she gets her back up, I never win an argument with her, either," Loghain actually smiled at Solona, then turned to Leliana and Morrigan,"And you ladies, I'm happy to have met you both, and I am truly sorry for what I did and caused to be done to you two, as well. Please forgive an old man's stupidity."

"I'm not quite ready to forgive eveything," Morrigan said, "but I do promise I will not disparage you to others once this is over. I can see the sincerity in what you said to Solona, and I thank you for the thought."

"The Maker tells us to forgive, but I will admit it is hard for me as well, but like Morrigan, I will not speak ill of you, and I too thank you for your offer." Leliana added.

"Thank you, ladies, how I wish I'd gotten to know you both better, and longer." Loghain responded,"But now, Commander, it is time, we must do this now before someone untainted kills that beast and we start the whole process over again."

"Then take up your sword and follow me," Solona said, sparing one last look at her lovers as they both broke down in tears again. She nodded to them, tears stinging her eyes again, then shook herself, turned, and began running towards the archdemon, only to be blindsided by a smite that came from nowhere. She fell to the ground and Loghain slid to a stop next to her and gathered her up in his arms so they could both see what was happening.

"I'm so sorry for everything, Solona!"Alistair yelled across the rooftop to her,"Forget what I said to you in anger, I did love you and I still do, and always will! Now you go off and be happy with Leli and Morri, and maybe think of me once in a while!" Saying this, Alistair whirled and rushed the archdemon from it's right side where it's blind eye was. Before the beast could sense the taint in the warden and turn to face him,Alistair vaulted up and grabbed one of the spikey protrusions adorning it's head and pulled himself up, landing astride the corrupted dragon's neck. As the beast felt him land on top of it and started to stand in an attempt to throw him off, Alistair reversed his grip on his sword, grabbed the pommel with both hands, and plunged it down into the center of the archdemon's neck, instantly severing the spine. As he thrust the sword home, he became engulfed in a brilliant pillar of white light, and light that seemed to sear it's way into every pore of his being and indescribable pain shot through his entire body, then the world exploded, but Alistair never knew that, for he was dead before it happened.

Solona screamed,"NOOOOO!" and fought Loghain's hold on her.

"It's done, Commander," Loghain stated, "The archdemon is dead, but we still live, thanks to a single act of one man, a man who was truly his father's son. Maric was the only man I ever knew who would willingly give his life to save his country, but now I've known two, both Therins."

"You knew?"Solona asked"You knew he was going to do this? How could you let him? Now who will be King?"

"Yes, I knew. Last night, Alistair came to my room and we spoke for quite some time. I came to understand him a bit. He was always told he was nobody, could never be anybody, by everyone in his life. Duncan was the first person to see him for the man he would become, and he gave credit to Duncan for bringing him to the wardens, but he gave most of the credit for who he became to you. He said you were the one person in his life who never doubted him, never said he couldn't do things, couldn't be someone. You simply supported him, and that in itself challenged him to be a better man. He said he still had no desire for the crown and since he had wasted his one chance at future happiness by acting like an adolescent at the Landsmeet, and not having the sense to listen to your explanations. He told me he wanted to be the one to land the blow, that you might live to see where your love takes you with Leli and Morri, he called them by those names, and he told me he'd come to appreciate Anora in the short time they'd been talking and getting to know one another, and that she was fully capable of ruling Ferelden without him, and he respected her too much to force her into a marriage with a man who reminded her so much of Cailan, and who she didn't love. He told me he wanted her to also have a chance to be happy and with someone she loved, and hoped both she and you would understand why he had to do this." Loghain explained. "Perhaps I should have stopped him, or at least said something to you, but he was so honest and sincere, I was taken back in time to the revolution and talks I had with Maric. I failed Maric in many ways, so I hoped to atone for all those times by respecting the wishes of his son."

Solona studied Loghain for a moment, then wrapped her arms around him and began weeping."He was a good man in so many ways, and I'll miss him terribly, even after how we parted, but I do understand why he did it. He never wanted to rule, he only wanted to help people, and even if being king would have let him help many, many people, he would never have been happy, and his unhappiness would have made Queen Anora miserable too. This way she can be the ruler the country needs and everyone can remember Alistair as the Gray Warden who ended the Fifth Blight."

"And you can be the Warden Commander who restored the Order to it's former glory in Ferelden, and in your spare time, can love and be loved," Loghain smiled at her.

"And you, Warden Constable, can be in charge while I'm being a silly girl in love," she smiled back.

The warden's companions gathered around Solona and Loghain, both Leliana and Morrigan dropping to their knees and hugging then both while Sten, Oghren, Zevran, and Wynne looked on.

In the aftermath of the Blight, Queen Anora worked tirelessly with the wardens and the Landsmeet to begin reconstructing Denerim and Ferelden. One of her first acts was to deed Vigil's Keep to the Gray Wardens and naming Solona Amell, Warden Commander of Ferelden and former Circle mage, Arl of Amaranthine. Solona and Anora came to understand each other and formed something of a friendship as they worked together after the Blight, something that seemed a mixed blessing to Loghain as his boss and his daughter frequently ganged up on him when they wanted something done. Some of the warden's companions left during the weeks and months after the death of the archdemon, Sten being the first to go, saying he had to return to Seheron and deliver his report to his Arishok about the blight, and pass on to their bakers the recipes for several types of cookies. Zevran decided to stay, after Queen Anora, on advice from Solona, named him her Chief of Security(and if needed, Assassin to the Crown). Oghren accepted a commission in the army, thinking to lend his battle experience to training young soldiers. Wynne stayed in Denerim for a few weeks helping with all of the wounded and ill citizens and soldiers, finally taking her leave to go back to Kinloch Hold for some time at the Circle before returning to become the official healer of the Queen.

Leliana and Morrigan, of course, stayed in Denerim with Solona until she headed to Amaranthine to take over the arling and Vigil's Keep. Their trip took a bit longer than expected, since the three women decided to stay the night at every inn they came across, giving them plenty of time to express and explore their love for one another. None of the three could ever be found far from the others, and most often, all three were within touching range of each other. There were some raised eyebrows when they invariable requested a single room with the biggest bed in the inn, but they cared not, they were together, and by the Maker, they were going to be together, day and night.

Once they arrived at Vigil's Keep, darkspawn spoiled their homecoming, but the three lovers approached this problem like they did all others, head on, and together. For many years to come the three lived and loved together, leaving Vigil's Keep once Solona ceded the titles of Warden Commander and Arl of Amaranthine to Nathaniel Howe, son of the former Arl, whom she had recruited early in her tenure at the Vigil. By then, the Ferelden Wardens, who had numbered two at the end of the Fifth Blight, had swelled to fifty two hand picked fighting men and women, all of whom were Ferelden born and bred. Solona had originally planned to name Loghain her successor, but he refused, saying he was happy serving as her second, and would be just as happy supporting Nathaniel, but would not be the leader himself, stating he was too old to go back to the days of being a noble and all the bickering and cajoling that went with it. He would rather be second to the commander and be in charge of training and supporting their wardens, which also gave him leave to run off to Denerim now and then to visit his daughter, Queen Anora, and her husband, King Fergus Cousland, and their twins, Celia Eleanor and Bryce Loghain.

Solona, Leliana, and Morrigan moved from Vigil's Keep to Amaranthine, buying and renovating a building that had been abandoned after the darkspawn had attempted to raze the town. They took a large, decrepit building and turned it into something of a showplace. The space had living quarters for the three lovers in the back half, while the front was split into three storefronts. On one side, Morrigan had an apothecary shop where she sold potions, poultices, and ingredients, many of which she grew in a small garden plot just outside. On the other side, Solona ran a clinic where she used both her magic skills and Morrigan's poultices and sundries to heal and cure people's ailments, and even treated their pets and livestock when needed. Both women soon developed reputations as the best at what they did, while Leliana had her store between the two. She sold shoes, dresses, jewelry, cosmetics, bath and massage oils, or in her words "Anything and everything that makes a woman look, smell, and feel beautiful". She also quickly earned a reputation, as the authority on style in Amaranthine. Women and girls from all over came to see her, especially those who wanted to impress their significant other, be that man or woman. Even the Queen of Ferelden shopped in Leliana's store, telling anyone who asked that she had come to trust Leliana's judgment an all things beauty related. The King also told his male friends they could find no better place to shop for their wives or girlfriends, as Leliana's store was where he bought nearly every gift for his Queen.


End file.
